Who Decides
by Green Phantom Queen
Summary: Prequel to Horseshoes and Hand-grenades. Prior to Ryusei's transfer to Amanogawa High, he met up with a fortuneteller at his high school festival who read his fortune. The fortuneteller only asks him questions that all return to the same theme, "Who decides your fate? You or I?" Ryusei already knew his answer from the beginning: "I decide my own fate."
1. Who Decides

**Who Decides?**

Author: Green Phantom Queen

Rated: T

Summary: During the Subaruboshi High School Festival, Ryusei Sakuta wanders into a fortune-telling booth so he can catch a glimpse of his future. What shall he uncover, and what shall he do with the knowledge that is in the cards?

Note: This story is set in the "Horseshoes and Hand-grenades" universe, but can be read as its own separate piece.

"_Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, accept it, no matter where it leads him."_

_-Henry Miller_

Under normal circumstances, the Subaruboshi High School Festival would've been the best day ever. There were food vendors, outside performances, games, haunted houses and more. It was when students were allowed to go to school and have fun and not worry about classes, homework or the occasional pop quiz.

Not for Ryusei Sakuta, who was currently walking across the festival with a frown on his face. He was supposed to be happy and excited—or as happy and excited as he would show on his face—to be at the festival, but he couldn't. That was because his best friend was recently put into a coma after the two had an argument over the item in his friend's hand.

_Jiro..._Ryusei thought to himself, remembering how his friend pressed onto the Zodiarts Switch._ Why did you even take that thing in the first place? We were friends, weren't we? Why would you go and betray me like that?_

He pulled out the item in his pocket—a blue Astroswitch with a symbol of a meteor. This was given to him as he watched Jiro being admitted into the hospital, along with a special belt and a letter attached to it. He still remembered what the letter said.

"_I have heard about your loss, Ryusei Sakuta. If you wish to reawaken your friend, take the mantle as Kamen Rider Meteor and slay the monsters that are known as the Zodiarts. While I wish to fight alongside you, my body is incapable to battle these threats. That is why I ask you to take this task and save Japan from this threat."_

_-Tachibana_

The two never met face to face, but instead all Ryusei had to do was press on the Meteoswitch, talk into it, and Tachibana would respond. It was kind of like a walkie-talkie—with the other communicator being in outer space and orbiting the Earth below. He hadn't heard word from Tachibana ever since he received the driver, but he knew that the strange man would talk to him once more when it was time.

Ryusei passed by vendors cooking yakitori and takoyaki, never noticing the looks on the customers' faces when they received their meals. It just made him reminisce on last year's festival, when he and Jiro bought those same foods to share amongst themselves. They laughed, played festival games, scared each other while traversing into the haunted house, and more. That year, they were still friends. What happened to them that made them drift apart twelve months later?

Still stewing in his own thoughts, he soon found himself at a fortune-teller's tent swathed in purple. Painted on the tent were the symbols of the twelve—or was it thirteen, seeing the strange U and its wavy line—Zodiac signs, all shining with silver glitter. In front of the tent were a stool with a black cat statue, and a sign that read, "Madame Pollux: Reader of Fortunes, Vessel of the Stars" in gold letters. Ryusei narrowed his eyes—this was nothing more than some phony psychic coming in to make the teenage girls feel all giddy over whom they were going to marry twenty years into the future.

So it surprised, no _shocked_ Ryusei, when he somehow found his feet approaching this mysterious tent. When he pushed the tent flap away, he was greeted with a strong smell of incense. All around him, he found different tools that could be used for divination: ancient tomes marked with pentagrams and archaic symbols on their spines, glass jars filled with different types of ingredients like 'Cygnet Feathers', or 'Hermit Crab shells' that were used for brewing potions, and an opened bag of knuckle bones—he hoped those were from an animal, and not from a human corpse—marked with a few tally marks. The paraphernalia was…interesting, to say the least.

At the center of it all was the fortuneteller herself. She was surrounded by items and was dressed in the attire of the many fortunetellers Ryusei recalled from all the books he read. In front of the fortuneteller was a table draped in a purple tablecloth, a collection of tarot cards, a crystal ball covered in smoke, and the fortuneteller herself draped with a blue robe and veil to reveal only her yellow eyes. The only sources of light within this tent were a set of electric candles, topped with little lightbulbs to resemble flames.

Even if this was just for the festival, Ryusei had to give the woman some credit: she was really doing her best to look like an authentic fortuneteller.

"Welcome to my humble abode," said the fortuneteller, lifting her head to meet Ryusei's gaze. "I am Madame Pollux, and I shall be the one who decides your fate."

"Well, hello then," said Ryusei, giving her a smile. It was a fake smile—the kind of smile that read 'I'm trying to be polite, but I'm not actually smiling at you' that he had been practicing for quite some time. "My name is—"

"Don't tell me!" Madame Pollux cried dramatically. She placed a polished fingernail—which was decorated to resemble a star in the night sky—on her forehead and tapped it in contemplation. "Your name…it's_…_Hoshi? No…Inseki? No, that's not right…Ryusei! Yes…" She placed her hands together. "You are Ryusei Sakuta of Subaruboshi High's Martial Arts team, correct?"

_She must've heard my name from Mei Shirakawa…_Ryusei thought, slightly narrowing his eyes. _If that's the game this 'Madame' wants to play, fine. I'll play along. Let's see how far this goes._

"That's right!" Ryusei replied. "My, you're very talented."

"Ah, but I sense that you are a disbeliever. You do not trust in my ability to see the future, do you?"

"N-no! I was actually amazed how you were able to know my name and which club I went to, Madame," Ryusei laughed. "I mean…"

"Do not try to hide your insecurities from me," Madame Pollux interrupted, wagging a finger at him. "How am I able to read your fortune if you are in denial? You will not be able to decide your fate if you turn away from the truth."

_I have a couple of words about what I honestly think about you..._Ryusei thought. Instead, he replied with, "Really now?"

"Sit down and let me see what is deep within your heart," Madame Pollux went to her side and pulled out a large scroll of parchment. She unraveled it in front of Ryusei, revealing a circle of different astrological signs—thirteen, Ryusei counted as he noticed that familiar U and wavy line—which rested under a set of upside down and right-side up triangles. He soon sat himself down and placed his hands on his lap, giving the fortuneteller his best beaming smile.

"Now," said Madame Pollux, running a finger over the astrological signs. "Will you tell me your birthday?"

"June 6th," Ryusei answered pleasantly. "That would make me a..."

"Gemini? Correct," Madame Pollux pointed at the symbol for Gemini. It looked like the Roman Numeral 2—which was accurate, seeing as Gemini represented 'The Twins'-only with the lines that ran through the top and bottom of the two lines curved, so that the top looked like a smile and the other one resembled a frown. "They are blessed by Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, and they fall under the element of Air." She then pointed to the triangle underneath Gemini's sign—a triangle with a line passing through the near top. "I see. Now, can you tell me more about your life?"

"Um, I guess so."

"Do you live alone?"

"Yes, all by myself."

"Are your parents amongst the living? Are they here?"

"N-no," Ryusei stuttered. That was strange—didn't he have a mother and father? He closed his eyes and tried to remember what they looked like, but he couldn't find anything about them.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters? Any aunts or uncles? Do you even have a guardian?"

"I-I don't think so..." Ryusei's hands began to tremble.

"Very interesting..." Madame Pollux placed her hands over her Tarot Deck and shuffled it. "I sense some insecurity in your heart, Sakuta. Do you wish to delve more into past? Or would you like to see into your future?"

"I decide whether or not I want to do so," Ryusei replied. "And..."

"And?" Madame Pollux stopped shuffling the cards and spread them across the table. "You can leave through the tent at anytime that you want. This is a free reading, after all."

There was truth in the fortune-teller's words; Ryusei didn't have to be in the stuffy tent with all of the incense choking him and all of that. Yet...he felt that he could find answers in this tent. No matter how hard he tried, there were no memories of a family at all. In fact, he just felt the words "June 6th" enter in his mind automatically, like he was pulling up a file from a computer.

"I..." Ryusei bowed his head. "I want to know more about myself. I feel...disconnected."

"Ah, you do not know how to connect to yourself," Madame Pollux closed her eyes. "That is the problem with today's youth—they do not know how to see eye to eye with their fellow friends, yet feel at peace when they talk on a phone or online. They feel as if people know what it's like to be them. Isn't that strange?"

"I guess," Ryusei replied, lightly patting the Meteoswitch in his pocket. "So, how does this reading work?"

"You shall choose three cards at random and they will determine your past, your present and your future. However, it will be up for you to decide if you want the third card to be your fate. Will you decide?"

"Yes, I shall."

"What would you wish to learn? Would you like to learn about your past or your future?"

Ryusei hesitated - on one hand, he'd love to learn more about his family. He didn't know anything about his past besides his birthday and his name. Heck, he didn't even remember even _celebrating_ a birthday. He felt so distant from the world.

On the other hand, it would've been great to know whether or not Jiro would be free from his coma. How long would his best friend be stuck in that state? If only he had a sure sign that would tell him that things would be all right - that in the end, Jiro would wake up and they could be friends once more.

"Well?" asked Madame Pollux, raising an eyebrow. "What do you decide?"

Ryusei looked into the fortuneteller's eyes and answered, "I decide on my future."

"Ah, you are one who moves forward instead of backwards. I like that." Madame Pollux waved a hand over her spread deck of Tarot Cards. "Pick a card, any card."

Ryusei reached toward one of the cards and flipped it over. It depicted six golden goblets filled with white pointed flowers, and a young boy on a donkey handing a flower-filled goblet to another girl. The only problem with this card was that it was upside-down, and the image pointed toward Ryusei instead of the fortune-teller.

"An inverted Six of Cups to start," Madame Pollux murmured. "You have been dealt a horrible blow not so long ago. This card questions whether or not you are ready to forgive and forget. Tell me, was there a recent fallout?"

"Y-yeah...my best friend is stuck in a coma after we had this giant fight about our friendship," Ryusei squeezed his eyes shut as he recalled their fight. The one thing that stuck out was what Jiro said before he pressed down on the malfunctioning Zodiarts Switch.

_"Friends?" Jiro scoffed. "What nonsense! The only thing I need...is this Switch!"_

"I see," Madame Pollux let out a sigh. "How long has it been?"

"At least two weeks, but I'm already searching for the cure. I want to see my friend open his eyes once more."

"Yes you do, but let us not focus on the past or future at this very moment. Pick a card to reveal your present."

Ryusei slowly reached toward the next card and flipped it over. This one a man sitting in front of a pile of riches with a golden coin above his head, two under his feet and one wrapped in his arms, each of them having a pentagram onto the center. It was if the man was on constant guard, fearing that his riches would be stolen if he wasn't vigilant.

"Oh, the Four of Coins," said Madame Pollux. "It seems as you are tied up with something—perhaps it is the desire to find the cure for your friend's ailment?"

"I have to be; I have to find the cure as soon as I can. Jiro's life depends on it!" Ryusei slammed his fists on the table. "Jiro...my best friend..."

"I know that he is very close to you, but you must not be too obsessed with your friend," Madame Pollux closed her eyes. "You are okay as you are, just relaxing and taking time off. Sometimes, we must go through side-paths while walking down destiny's crossroads. Coming here to see me was a good choice, Ryusei. Now, draw the card that will reveal your future and let me decide your fate."

Ryusei slowly nodded his head and reached out for the third and final card. He flipped it over, revealing nine wooden staffs and a tired young man leaning against one. It looked as if he went through a war.

"The Nine of Wands," Madame Pollux gasped. "This is a very good sign. It means that you shall be victorious in finding what you desire."

_Jiro! _Ryusei thought in his mind._ So Jiro can be saved! He'll recover! And we'll be friends again..._

"But..." That word snapped Ryusei out of his thoughts. "There seems to be a small obstacle in your path just as everything is about to turn right. Do not worry about it though—by this time, you would have everything you need to complete your task. You must be persistent, but also take precaution. Expect the worst to come from these situations." Madame Pollux gathered the three cards for the reading and placed them back into the spread out deck. She took in a deep breath. "You have good things coming to you, Sakuta. Now then, I must ask you one question..._"_

"What's that?" asked Ryusei, his mind buzzing with excitement. Jiro could be saved! That was the best news he had all day!

"Do you decide if this fate is yours or do I? Who decides?"

This was an easy question. Ryusei smiled and answered, "I do."

There was silence as Madame Pollux looked into Ryusei's eyes. Ryusei felt his heart beating against his chest—the future was bright, and he was going to seize it. The fortune-teller then nodded her head.

"Very well," she said. "I am glad that we had this encounter. Go and have your fun at the festival, and may we cross paths again in the next life."

"Thank you!" Ryusei replied, bowing toward the fortune-teller. "Thank you very much."

Ryusei walked off with a smile on his face as a blast of sunlight illuminated the dimly-lit tent. The fortune-teller winced when she felt the sunlight enter her eyes before all became dark once more. When it was quiet, the fortune-teller felt her body shudder and her head loll to the side. Her yellow eyes flickered until they were a shade of bright blue. Madame Pollux groaned and placed a hand on her forehead.

"W-what happened to me?" asked the now confused fortune-teller. "W-where am I?"

"Mei-chan! Mei, are you in here?"

Mei Shirawkawa removed the hooded veil over her face as she noticed Azusa Seta, Subaruboshi High's PE teacher, enter the tent. There was a look of relief on the teacher's face as she sat down.

"There you are!" said Seta. "Where have you been? Your shift ended twenty minutes ago!"

"I-I don't know," Mei answered. "One minute, I was preparing to head off for some shaved ice and then...I blacked out. Did anyone come for a reading while I was knocked out?"

"I just saw Ryusei leave the tent with a big smile on his face! I mean, it was as if someone just gave him a ray of sunshine on his parade. Why do you ask?"

Mei looked at the shuffled cards in her hand and the astronomy chart in front of her. If Ryusei did come for a reading, what was it for? And why could she not remember it? Was she possessed by the spirit of divinity, giving a blessing toward her best friend to help him in his troubled times? She couldn't really say for certain as to what it was.

As both teacher and student pondered what happened inside Madame Pollux's Fortune Booth, they were oblivious to the silent hiss of a serpent slithering outside into the sunlight.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

In the middle of January, Ryusei was transferred to Amanogawa High in an exchange program with his school. Tachibana told him that in order to complete his goals, he had to get close to the Kamen Rider Club and its leader, Gentaro Kisaragi. Ryusei placed on a chipper mask-or the 'I'm not really smiling at you' smile-in order to be accepted. He almost blew his cover...if it wasn't for Gentaro somehow having a superhuman level of human psychology and knew that the sardonic, snarky Ryusei was the true Ryusei Sakuta.

During the next few months, Ryusei had to tolerate the antics of the Kamen Rider Club. This ranged from Yuki flying around singing about a 'Hayabusa-kun', Tomoko grinding up dried insects and herbs to make medicine, JK's loud party-going attitude and instances of guitar playing, Shun in the corner of the Rabbit Hatch doing a series of squats and push-ups, Miu dictating orders to the Kamen Rider Club, Kengo maintaining the Astro Switches for Kamen Rider Fourze...and Gentaro being Gentaro. Needless to say, Ryusei was just counting the days until the Aries Zodiarts arrived and he could _finally_ leave the Kamen Rider Club forever.

Then, after four months of battling Zodiarts as Kamen Rider Meteor, tolerating the Kamen Rider Club and obtaining his second form of Kamen Rider Meteor Storm, he finally had a breakthrough. The Aries Zodiarts, in a very ironic fashion, was the same student who was part of the exchange program: Yamada Tatsumori. Ryusei could've just slapped himself across the face-Aries was right under his _nose_ the whole time!

But in any case, once he found that Aries' ability to put people to sleep and also wake them up, he knew that he had to hurry and save Jiro. Tachibana intervened by saying that it was better to grab the Aries Zodiarts switch in order to create a cure, but there was no time. He had to get the cure quickly-Jiro would've died before Tachibana made that successful panacea!

And then, Ryusei made contact with Yamada Tatsumori and the two made a deal. In order for Yamada to use his powers on Jiro, Ryusei Sakuta only had to do one, simple task.

He had to kill Kamen Rider Fourze a.k.a Gentaro Kisaragi.

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

There was the obstacle.

In front of his eyes, Ryusei Sakuta saw Kamen Rider Fourze and Aries Zodiarts duke it out over one another, the Kamen Rider fighting to protect his friends, and the tyrant wishing to destroy all who opposed him. This was in the Tarot Reading back at the school festival—the Nine of Wands. He knew who was the obstacle and who was the goal, and he was going to make sure that he would not mess this up. Jiro's recovery depended on this success.

Fourze, transformed into the bulky Magnet State, pulled the N/S Magnet Switches up as the cannons on his shoulders lifted into the air and fused to form one large horseshoe magnet. Standing by his side was his friends and allies, the Kamen Rider Club, ready to see Fourze defeat the Zodiarts that was causing a rampage in Subaruboshi High.

"RIDER SUPER ELECTROMAGNETIC BOMBER!" Gentaro announced, watching the MagCannons spew a giant beam of electromagnetic energy at his target, ready to see Aries Zodiarts defeated once and for all...

But just as the attack was about to connect, it was blocked by blue sphere of energy. When the attacks died down, there was a being that stood inbetween Fourze and Aries: Kamen Rider Meteor Storm, with his Meteor Staff in hand.

**Limit Break**

Kamen Rider Meteor Storm—a.k.a Ryusei Sakuta—released the Meteor Storm Drive from his staff just as Fourze was about to try the super bomber attack once more.

"Meteor Storm Punisher!" Meteor Storm cried as the two attacks connected. The Meteor Storm switch penetrated through the beams and drilled through Fourze's stomach like a buzzsaw. The MagCannon flew off into the distance as Fourze let out a yell of both surprise and pain. Fourze slammed against the wall as the other members of the Kamen Rider Club looked in shock.

Kengo turned to Kamen Rider Meteor Storm. "What the hell are you doing, Meteor?!" he screamed.

Meteor Storm didn't answer, but instead rushed toward his opponent. The MagCannon fired everywhere, shooting red and blue beams of electromagnetic energy in a frenzied pattern. Meanwhile, Meteor Storm began to relentlessly attack the defenseless Fourze with his staff, the sparks flying when the attacks connected. He kicked Fourze in the stomach before pulling Fourze away from the wall.

"Meteor!" Fourze exclaimed. "Why? Why are you attacking me?!"

"You said that you'd do anything to help a friend, right?" asked Meteor Storm, recalling Fourze's speech earlier that day.

Realization hit Fourze as Meteor began to attack him once more. Fourze tried to bring out one of his Astroswitches, but it was no use. Magnet State was too slow and bulky to move around against the faster and more powerful Meteor Storm.

"Wait...it can't be!" Fourze gasped. "You..."

Meteor Storm slammed the Meteor Storm Switch into the Meteor Driver and spun the giant black globe that activated the driver. He became swathed in blue and yellow light that rotated around him like a globe.

"Then take this and DIE FOR ME, GENTARO KISARAGI!" Meteor Storm screamed as he jumped into the air.

"I can't die that easily!" Fourze retorted using Magnet States' jetpack to initiate a kick of his own. The two soon collided in a large explosion, but only Meteor Storm's kick connected. Fourze let out a scream as his armor faded away, returning him into his Base State form. Fourze flipped onto his back and groaned while Meteor Storm slowly approached him. He lifted his adversary onto his feet, turned him around and drew his fist back. This was it. This was the moment he was waiting for—by killing Gentaro, Aries Zodiarts would bring Jiro back to life. Then, everything would be right again.

Ryusei brought his fist toward Fourze's heart but stopped just one inch away from delivering the fatal blow. A thought appeared in his head. No, not a thought...a memory. It was the Subaruboshi High School Festival, and it was him in that tent with Madame Pollux. The last words of their conversation was heard.

"_Do you decide if this fate is yours or do I? Who decides?"_

Ryusei bowed his head as those questions echoed in his mind. Was this how it was supposed to end? With him killing Gentaro Kisaragi in order to bring his friend back to life? Was he going to sacrifice someone, someone who promised to be his friend and constantly begging Ryusei to open up, just to reunite with a friend who only wanted the contents of the Zodiarts Switch in hand?

"Stop it!" cried Yuki Jojima, as if to stop Ryusei from enacting a fatal error. Ryusei didn't hear it—all he heard was the answer he gave to Madame Pollux before leaving. The answer to her question was easy.

"I decide my fate," he replied as he performed the one-inch punch. "Die for me, Gentaro Kisaragi."

* * *

Translation Notes

Yakitori-Grilled chicken skewers, but can also be non-chicken based with ingredients like beef tongue, pork belly and scallions

Takoyaki-Fried dumplings with pieces of octopus inside

Hoshi-Japanese for 'Star'

Inseki-Japanese for comet. Also to note: Ryusei means 'Meteor' in Japanese

* * *

**I have decided to create a character sheet for the characters, seeing as Kamen Rider Fourze is known for having way too many characters for the show. Each character gets its own chapter-unless it's easier to group them like the Glee Club for example-and each character will be updated as the story goes by. This is so everyone can get a chance to see who's whom and so they don't have to worry about who is what and so forth. This is an experiment so if I find that not alot of people like it, the character sheets will immediately go down.**

**So be on the look out for "Astronomical Archives: Horseshoes and Hand-grenades" coming to before Valentine's Day!**


	2. Why Decide

**Extra: Why Decide?**

**Note: Takes place inbetween I Revenge and II Genesis of "Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" **

"_We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them."_

_-Khalil Gibran_

_"If you have any sanity, you go to your friend, tell him you were forgiven and then you hide. You are no longer the Kamen Rider that saved me and the 'Kamen Rider Club', and you have no other means to fight me. You are my target for my anger and my vengeance, but...I shall spare you. After all, we're **friends.**"_

Ryusei felt those words echo in his head as he made it to his apartment. He dropped to his knees in anguish, slamming a fist onto the floor in fury. He screwed up everything just to save Jiro, but for what? Jiro relapsed back into the coma, Gentaro was a zombie, and the Kamen Rider Club would never forgive him for his crimes. Plus, his right to be Kamen Rider Meteor was taken away from him, all because he wanted to fulfill his desires.

"Damn it," he whispered, pulling onto his hair. "This can't be possible! I only wanted my life to be normal. I wanted my friend back...and now..." he slammed his fists onto the floor once more. "I have nothing."

He felt the tears fall down his face as he recalled Gentaro's voice earlier that morning. How did that boy who wanted to befriend everyone in Amanogawa High transform into a cold, heartless person who turned away from his friends? Was it because of him seeing a person he saw as his own friend betraying him in the most despicable way? No, that couldn't be...Gentaro was _happy_ to have died for him because Ryusei was Gentaro's good friend. Then what was it?

Ryusei didn't have time to ponder this question when he heard someone knocking at the door. He turned around, confused as to why someone would be visiting him right now. He never had visitors, and as far as he was concerned, a family to go to. He had always lived by himself for quite some time.

"Excuse me," said a voice. "Could I come in for a while?"

"J-Just a minute," Ryusei replied, wiping the tears away with the back of his sleeve. He slowly stood up and opened the door. Standing in front of him was a familiar face. "You...Madame Pollux?"

"Ah," said the fortune-teller, tugging onto the hood obscuring her face. "It is you. I thought your voice sounded so familiar. Have I had known you lived here, I would have already come here immediately instead of knocking on the other doors. May I come in?"

Normally, Ryusei would've said that he was busy and that he didn't want company...until he saw Madame Pollux pull out her tarot deck and shuffle it. He recalled the tarot spread that she gave him months ago, and of the Nine of Rods that would tell of his future. It said that he was going to be successful in freeing Jiro, but that were would be a small obstacle in his way.

"_You must be persistent, but also take precaution. Expect the worst to come from these situations."_

Ryusei heard those two sentences echo in his mind. Yes, he did succeed in saving Jiro, but he did not realize what he had done until it was too late. Gentaro would never come back to life, and his deal with Yamada was useless if Jiro relapsed into that coma. To add onto it, Yamada was probably in a coma, the Kamen Rider Club hated his guts, and when Mei ever found out what happened, she'd never be his friend again. This was all his fault.

"Excuse me," said Madame Pollux, tilting her head to the side. "Are you all right, good sir?"

"No, I'm fine," Ryusei forced himself to flash his "I'm smiling at you, but I'm truly not" smile. "It's nothing. You can come in if you want. Would you like me to boil you a pot of tea?"

"No, I already ate. Thank you." Madame Pollux stepped inside the house and looked around. It was neatly furnished with a sofa, a desk with a computer, a shelf full of books, and a small kitchen and dining room to serve at least four people. "You live here by yourself?"

"For as long as I could remember," Ryusei closed the door behind him as he lead Madame Pollux into the dining room. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

Ryusei sat himself down. "I never heard of a Madame Pollux before the festival. I heard that one of the classes were doing fortunes, but when I came back a few hours later, no one could find you. Or rather, the student being the fortune teller couldn't replicate your dramatic flair in presenting the fortunes."

"I just drift about, telling fortunes to those who need it. Nothing more." Madame Pollux also sat herself down, setting her tarot deck in front of her. "But enough about me, I want to know you more."

"What do you mean?" Ryusei blinked his eyes in disbelief. "I told you about my birthday, my family life, my troubles..."

"Those were the troubles in your past, but we are in the present now." Madame Pollux fanned the cards out, revealing the blue wavy lines that marked the back of the cards. "You hold sorrow in your heart, and my job is to help guide you."

"I thought you decided fate."

"I _ask_ who decides fate. When you left my tent, you already decided for yourself. However, _why_ did you specifically decide on your fate? You could've asked for another tarot reading, and I would have obliged. Instead you went for the Nine of Rods without question. You could've have drawn any other card, like this for instance."

Madame Pollux's hand hovered over the deck before she picked up a card in the middle. She flipped it over, revealing a queen on her thrown, wielding a wand in her right hand and a sunflower in her left. Next to her feet was a black cat.

"An upward Queen of Rods shows that you are generous and helpful to those who are in need. Your relationships with people prove that you are loyal to them and that you can act with courage in your heart. Interesting..."

As Madame Pollux placed the card back in its position, Ryusei had to resist the urge to scream. In front of him, his future was unreadable, and he took the one that would give him the easiest solution. No, he took the solution that felt the best for him at that time. He was too naïve and too impatient to look for alternate ways in helping Jiro. Tachibana stated that making a cure for him would've helped, but Ryusei was too hasty, and now he had someone dead in his hands.

"But that was an alternate future that could've been seen in the past," said Madame Pollux. "Right now, we shall focus on the here and now. So, as before, draw the card that represents your past."

"Okay..." Ryusei inched a hand toward a card.

"But I want to be some reason as to _why _that card was chosen," Madame Pollux interrupted. "Why is that card there? I can give you the interpretations, but why do they fit into your life? That is what I ask today."

"All right..." Ryusei's hand hovered in the air as he tried to figure out what card he wanted. He couldn't tell whether the card would be up or down, so it all had to come to his decision. As he tried to choose, he said, "The background of those cards are interesting. Are you an Aquarius?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Madame Pollux smiled. "Why do you ask?"

"It reminds me of my friend, Mei Shirakawa. She's also an Aquarius who likes reading fortunes."

"Ah."

Ryusei nodded his head as he picked up his first card. It showed a man smirking at two other warriors leaving in defeat as storm clouds decorated the sky. He had a sword pointing to the ground, and two in his other arm, two more resting at his feet. The card was upside down, with the man's head facing Ryusei instead of Madame Pollux.

"An inverted Five of Swords as a beginning," said Madame Pollux. "This shows what a hollow victory you've obtained. When you were with other people, you were deceitful. Why choose that card?"

"In truth," Ryusei bowed his head. "Remember that friend I told you about? I was given an offer to save them, but I had to kill someone in order to do so. As a result, I lost the trust of my...other friends..."

"Why did it have to be death? Why did you not ask for something different?"

"I was desperate!" Ryusei slammed his fists on the table. "I just wanted my friend back that I took the deal without realizing! Now...now..."

"Focus on the present. Draw your card that represents the now. Please Ryusei, work with me here."

Ryusei took a deep breath as he went toward the cards on his right. He picked up a card, seeing another upside card staring at him. It was a queen on her throne with a golden orb on her lap, stamped with a star. Surrounding her was lush greenery. Unfortunately, it was also upside down.

"Ah, a Queen of Pentacles," Madame Pollux mused. "Dependent on others, suspicious, and neglecting their true purpose. Do these attributes suit you, Ryusei?"

"Yeah...The friends of the person I killed don't trust me, I had to rely on someone in order to get what I want, and in my purpose of saving Jiro, I didn't find what I truly wanted."

"And what was that?"

"Friendship."

There was some silence as Madame Pollux stared into Ryusei's eyes. Then, underneath the hood of her cloak, she cracked a smile and laughed.

"Ahahahaha!" she said. "Friendship? Why does someone like you deserve friendship?" she sneered at him as she added, "You tossed it aside the minute you sold your soul to the devil! I say that friendship is beneath you at this point!"

Ryusei felt hot tears in his eyes as he heard the fortune teller continue her haughty laugh. He clenched his hand into fists as he lunged toward her, ready to pull the hood off of her eyes...

When he was stopped by Madame Pollux blocking his hand with one of her own. Ryusei saw Madame Pollux lift her head, seeing two golden pin points of light staring back at him.

"Now, now," she said coolly. "A gentleman knows better than to raise his hand at a lady. You don't want anymore misfortune palced on your head, do you?"

Ryusei felt paralyzed in the woman's stare—it was if he was standing in front of a tiger who was ready to eat him whole. He lowered his hand and sat down, still locked in Madame Pollux's terrifying gaze.

"That's better," said Madame Pollux. "That wouldn't lead to a good future, now would it? Speaking of which..." She motioned to the remaining cards. "Draw."

Ryusei nodded his head, feeling his heart pounding in worry. He just wanted a good future at this point, or rather if he _deserved_ a good future. He looked at the cards and how the blue wavey background was mocking him, hiding how they could bring either good or bad luck to him. Still, he had to decide—that's what he said to the Zodiarts, after all.

He snatched a card from the left and laid it on the table. This one depicted a happy couple staring at the sky, where a myriad of ten goblets was above their head. Next to the family were two children playing and a house rested upon a hillside. Unfortunately, like his past and present cards, it was upside-down.

"Three upside-down cards in a row..." said Madame Pollux, shaking her head. "Oh dear...and an inverse Ten of Cups for the future? Betrayal and sadness...how horrible. Why should that be?"

"Because I betrayed people and made them sad," Ryusei replied. "I deserve this fate."

"But do you decide it? Come, Ryusei, you can do better than that. Why not replace this betrayal and sadness with something better? Choose one alternate card. Let's see if fate will be better for you now."

Ryusei saw the three cards in front of him, showing nothing but misery in his past, present and future. He wanted his life to be better...all he had to do was draw that right card.

"All right," he said. "Here goes."

He picked up a card in the middle and flipped it over. This one depicted a man with nine staffs around him...upside-down. It was if Ryusei was punched in the gut: it was the Nine of Wands.

"Oh?" said Madame Pollux, taking the card into her hands. "How ironic. Fate loves tricking you, doesn't she? This shows that you will be so vulnerable and so weak-spined. I wonder why? Why won't you fight and stand up for yourself? Where was your initiative?"

"I...I don't know," Ryusei said, shaking his head. "I just don't know anymore."

"You better find that soon," Madame Pollux gathered the cards and shuffled them once more. "If you don't, someone will decide on your future...and you may not like it."

She stood up and went to the door. Ryusei watched as Madame Pollux turned around and smiled.

"Thank you for having me over today," she said. "I hope our paths cross again in the future."

She opened the door and stepped out, leaving Ryusei to ponder what exactly his future would hold.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Madame Pollux left the apartment, shuffling the deck in hand. As she did, she recalled Ryusei's answers to his own fate and how defeated he was, believing that he deserved everything that was coming to him. She couldn't believe how broken he was when just a few months ago, he was all gung-ho on having his future be so clear. How the mighty have fallen...

As she looked at the back of the deck, Madame Pollux remembered what Ryusei said about his friend and how she was into fortunes and stuff. That was when an idea bloomed in her mind.

"Mei Shirakawa, hmm?" she said. A smile grew on her lips. "Well, I think I just found the person to help me out. Thank you, Ryusei Sakuta. Thank you for deciding who I shall bond with."

She laughed as she ventured into the shadows, determined to find the person that will help decide the fate of others once and for all.

* * *

**This was originally planned as a one-shot, but I needed to expand on Ryusei more. How would he react when he recollected his tarot reading and the idea of why humans decide and make choices. To me, Ryusei Sakuta is not an evil character but more who just wanted things to go right on this end. If only he knew that once a person died, they're dead forever. Poor him.**

**With that, this prequel is finished. It is up to Ryusei to decide what he will do in his life and to make things better. To me, his fate is already set in stone...but do you dear riders decide that it should remain that way? I would love to see how it can be changed...**


End file.
